Misread
by magickalgirls
Summary: Mikasa is the adoptive daughter of the Yeagers. Eren and Armin are both intending to be military cadets. Erwin and Levi are commanders in town to test Eren and Armin. Pride and Prejudice AU. Eventual LevixMikasa.
1. beginnings

**Misread**

**i. prelude**

There's a certain point in every woman's life when she's asked the question, "Are you seeing anyone?" It's at that point in time society deems one mature enough to play with hearts and experience the utter anguish of all-consuming love. The status of one's relationship is a focal point for conversation rather than what it is, an invasive question that whittles any success a woman has acclaimed thus far in life to her availability. _Is she ruining her lipstick for anyone?_

Furthermore, not only is the question "is she ruining her lipstick for anyone?" dancing on their tongues, but they're observing her actions. Is she graceful? Is she wild? Is she humble? Would she make a good mother? Rather than admonishing the idea, society relished it. Abject femininity constructed hierarchy of womanhood. The ability to categorize is recognized as safety; chaos is avoided and all complexity is devoid. Sadly, Mikasa Ackerman was like the waves - she varied in accordance to the way she was pulled. She could crash into a person, leaving foam in their mouth and the sting of hard water slapping their skin. Or, she could calmly undulate and ripple to the point that a body could float and understand safety in her varied waters. The various men who have attempted can attest to the stinging sensation except for her adoptive-brother, Eren, and her childhood friend, Armin, who have spent eons breathing deeply and their bodies transient on her waves.

All critique aside, Mikasa loathed the idea of such callously engendered thought. Since her birth, she was considered pretty - she had plush pink lips as though stained by spring cherry blossoms; her words spilled like petals whenever she spoke. Her hair was black, loose, like the way the universe's galaxies spiral visibly at night in between layers of stars. However, due to her tempestuous nature, the idyllic realm of "waiting for a man" never played out as a fantasy. Rather, she had the spirit of a warrior, or so she swears, claiming she was a warrior in a previous life. Her spirit, although passionate when it concerns issues pertaining to Eren and Armin, tended to remain reserved and resilient as though calculating battle strategies for saving humanity. She had fierceness to her personality that when her brother and Armin enlisted in the army, she filled out an application and was bent on joining too.

"Mikasa, what is this about?" asked Mrs. Yeager holding a slip a paper listing out information about Mikasa.

Mrs. Yeager was usually sympathetic toward Mikasa. When a premature abandonment following her parents' death, it was Mrs. Yeager's willingness to accept Mikasa as her own, without questioning her frail situation, that helped her regain a sense of normalcy in her life. Life with the Yeagers was far from being with her own family. At night, she can still hear the humming of the lullaby her mother used to sing to her whenever she had nightmares. Sometimes, she hums the tune, staring at the moon and wondering if their spirits are watching her and if they're proud of the woman she's becoming. Those nights, she unwraps and rewraps the bandage her mother placed on her as a child. One day she'd understand the bandage, but for the time being, it was a reminder of what feels like a lifetime ago.

"It's an application to join the army, Mrs. Yeager," she replied.

"Have you taken a glimpse of yourself in the mirror? You're a woman! The army does not accept women out of the blue. The army is no place for a woman like you!" Mrs. Yeager huffed out angrily, "The army is for men willing to risk their lives. Women aren't allowed to join for a reason." They walked into the kitchen where Mrs. Yeager grabbed bags for grocery. It was a Wednesday afternoon; she often went to the town center Wednesdays to hear what the local townswomen had to say.

"Who would protect them?" She should have maintained quiet but her passion rose as she thought about Eren and Armin's applications. She would be incapable of protecting them if she stayed at home and waited for some charming man to ask for her hand in marriage. She protected them both the majority of her life in the town. When they were kids, bullies feared her. The amount of force she was capable of exerting with her punch could collide with their inertia, ruining their sense of gravity as they lunged into walls. She would not only protect them, but become a valuable addition to the army, even if she were a woman.

"It's not your concern. Your concern is to boost the reputation of your family by marrying well," said Mrs. Yeager quietly acknowledging the dreams she once had but quickly abandoned like stray pennies to beggars.

"Of course it's not my concern! Of course! Because all a man desires is a woman to marry. Especially any single man in possession of good fortune," she replied. She stared at angrily at her adoptive mother. In those heated glances, they exchanged all their frustration and Mikasa silently agreed to desert the idea of joining the army. Mrs. Yeager turned away and left through the door.

Mikasa furiously stomped into her bedroom but made sure to close the door with the least amount of noise possible. She sat in front of the window with a novel when she heard a quiet rapping on the door.

"Mikasa, are you alright?" She recognized the voice as Eren's. "Can I come in?" his voice always calmed her down. He truly felt like a brother to her. They constantly ensured that each other was okay.

She rose and opened the door, noticing the worried expression on his face. Eren had always been expressive. Usually it was anger, but every emotion of his was readable on his face. As kids, she and Armin used to play "Guess What Eren is Feeling." The typically won whenever they played the game. The one time they had lost was when Eren's face expressed that of romantic longing toward a girl in the town. His face seemed like one of a man who searched for the right words in fear that one wrong phrase would tarnish his chances.

"I'm okay. It was just a small talk with your mom," she told him, hoping he did not notice the small crack in her voice.

"It didn't sound like a small talk. The last time I heard my mom that angry was when my father tested out a vaccination on me back when I was a kid," he said as he took a seat on the edge of the bed.

"She found my application for the army," she simply stated, anticipating his reaction.

His eyebrows rose, "And? What happened?"

"She doesn't want me in the army. That's all," she said.

"Well, of course, you would get hurt. Plus, women aren't allowed," he reminded her.

"I have saved your derriere more times than you have gotten into arguments with Jean" she remarked. Any mention of Eren's rival teammate constantly enraged him. Like clockwork, anger would coil in the pit of his stomach as his thoughts turned terse due to anger.

"First, don't mention his name around me. And two, you deserve better than the army." Her comment worked as he slowly stated his opinion to her. It would not be long until he leaves the room to work on his combat skills.

"I could say the same about you and Armin." Her face expressed a certain degree of sadness, understanding that should the boys continue on with enlisting in the army, there was a possibility of death. It is odd how humans are capable of living in pain are the ones who commit the most misery.

"You know why we're doing this, don't you?" he said.

"Yes, but that should not mean that I cannot be around you two and ensure your safety." She was stubborn.

"You're more protective than my mom. But don't ignore me, you deserve better and you know that."

"And what's better?"

"Family. You deserve family."

He fixed the red scarf on her neck. It was the same scarf he wrapped around her years ago when her parents first died, a sort of inseparable bond they had formed as children. She fiddled with the bandage wrapped around her wrist.

There was another knock at the door.

"Can I come in?" It was Armin.

"Yes, of course." Mikasa answered.

"Armin, help me convince Mikasa that her idea to join the army is terrible. My mother found an application for the army she signed. She wants to join us in the army. Armin, tell her it's a bad idea." She could hear a desperate undertone in his voice.

"It's a horrible idea, Mikasa. But I didn't know you were interested in joining the army," the blond boy said to her.

"I want to protect you two."

"I'm sorry, but you can't. This is ours to do," Armin tried to assuage her.

She sighed. "I know."

In the town center, Mrs. Yeager purchased tomatoes and meat from the butcher. She overheard a group of women who gossiped about the impending visitation from two men of high rank.

"I heard that with the spike of applications this year for the army, they're going to be sending officers to our towns."

"If that's true, I hope they're single men my daughter can marry."

"I only hope they choose my dear son."

"Who do you think it is?"

"I don't know, but I hear they're both commanders."

She hurried home to tell the boys.

* * *

Author Note: It's late where I am so I'm posting this as is. I'll probably recheck it and edit the fic once more. _All mistakes are my own. I don't own SNK or Pride and Prejudice. _ As always, reviews always appreciated!


	2. glares

**Misread  
ii. glares**

The blue sky was messy with clouds in the same way a grown man remembers his childhood. There were thick masses, clumped and fluffed like small sheep in the atmosphere, but there were also clouds spread apart so thinly, it was a veil of emotional landscapes. It was one of those days where nature was reflective of the consciousness stirring inside humanity; the sun peeked through the white overcast down to the two men who were staring at a residence in front of them.

The men were on brown horses. A large blond man looked ahead at the home. He was dressed in crisp white trousers and wore a green coat. The lapels on his coat held the insignia of his position in the military; he was a commander. The man next to him was much shorter; he had a small frame but a strong build. He was also dressed in white trousers, but his green coat had a badge. The small badge was an image of a pair of wings, one white and one black; it was a symbol of his camaraderie to the legion and his dedication to ensuring the survival of all he worked with. The shorter man also wore a cravat which softly blew in tandem with the crisp morning breeze.

"Isn't she a fine house, Levi?" the blond man asked. He whistled in praise of the home, his eyes grazing over the architectural marvel that stood in front of them.

Like a large jewel, the house seemed to gleam underneath the sunlight that peeked through the clouds. The multi-faceted beige colored structure had an intricate design of overlaying bricks that climbed upward like a staircase to the sky. There were white trimmed windows with gray-looking glass. The roof was more like a hat; it was perfectly perched on the beige structure but seemed delicate enough to be knocked over by gust. It was an elegant house, but far too elegant to be a military home.

"Commander Erwin, it's just a military house," said Levi, gruffly. He looked disinterested in the situation, channeling his vision to the grass surrounding the horse's hooves. He was disgusted by the mud around him

"Just a house? Levi, this a military home. Think about all the operations that could have been decided here. There must be an extensive history to the home. Why, my father was a military man, didn't I tell you?" Erwin started. Levi sighed beside him. "Yes, indeed, my father was in the military. I rarely saw him as a child, if I were to be rather honest. But when he was home, I would beg him to tell me all about his work. He worked on secret operations, though, which explained his frequent absences. Why his operations were so secret? I don't believe I will ever know. Even with the operations I'm in now, the amount of secrecy it requires is far less than that of my father's. Regardless, I still admired my father and wanted to do the same work he did. He used to describe the houses he used to work in to me. The houses were always massive estates – massive to the point that if a regular man owned it, he would not know what to do with all of the rooms. But I always wanted to see one of these homes for myself – how odd that I'd live to see the day I worked in one myself," he rambled.

"That's interesting," he said sarcastically, too annoyed due to their long journey to feign interest, "but can we enter the home soon? Come to think of it, the house is probably filthy inside."

Erwin sighed, "Levi, appreciate the architectural marvel in front of us, please. We have time before the military recruitments start."

"Who has the applications?" Levi asked.

"Does it matter? Take some time to enjoy beautiful Santa Maria!" the other man replied.

"But the sooner we finish recruitment, the better. We have multiple towns to visit and the future brats still need to be trained," he said. Levi's proclivity toward accomplishing business was well known. Pleasure was a secondary benefit that occasionally accompanied their work in recruitment.

"There will be time for that! After we explore the town and get to know its people. We need to establish reputation with the townsfolk before taking their sons. Besides, the town was planning on having a welcoming ball for us tomorrow night," Erwin said.

Confused, Levi asked, "How do they know we're here?"

"I asked Hange to prepare everything for our arrival today – especially the cleaning of the estate." Erwin winked at him, a playful glint in his eye, remembering Levi's comment about the potential filth.

"I take it Squad Leader Hange will be joining us in recruitment, I take it? Quite a handful."

"Yes, Hange will indeed be joining us. And yes, quite a handful. But aren't all the women in the army like that? I remember how father told me how women were unable to join the army due to fear of their injury and threshold for pain. But the years have proven more lenient and progressive. Now we have female historians and nurses. Albeit, women are rarely allowed to be anything else; Hange may be a woman, she is no an ordinary woman."

"Just make sure she leaves her eccentricities outside the door and that she cleans after herself. However, if she starts to ramble about the military dogs they're training, I will quiet her by any means necessary," Levi casually stated, looking at his hands. "On a side note, this 'ball', is it mandatory that I attend?" he added.

Erwin laughed. "Yes, Levi, you have to attend. Stop acting like such a child. Take this ball as an opportunity – maybe you might finally meet a woman whose company you enjoy," he said.

"If a woman isn't to my standard, it is not my fault if I don't enjoy her company," he coolly commented.

"You say that as though women readily set their standard to cranky, 5'4, germ-obsessed men such as yourself."

Erwin's laugh rings through the area. His horse trots toward the house and Levi only glares.

* * *

Author Note: I apologize so much for the short chapter and the lack of a chapter two for the longest of time. I was busy with school and social projects. If you don't see me posting for a while, please bother me and make sure I do.


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